Combination washer and drier



Oct. 25, 1960 K. R. CLlNE COMBINATION WASHER AND DRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Feb. 26, 1954 IN VEN TOR.

Kermit R. Cline gooooo ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1960 K. R. CLINE COMBINATIONWASHER AND DRIER 5 Sheets-sheaf 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1954 Fig. 3

INVENTOR. Kermif Cline ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1960 Y K. R. CLiNE COMBINATIONWASHER AND DRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 26, 1954 oooooooo OOOOOOOINVEMTOR. Kerm/f R. Cline Fig. 6

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ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1960 K. R. CLINE COMBINATION WASHER AND DRIER 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 26, 1954 Fig. 11

Fig. 14

INVENTOR Kermit R. Cline ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1960 K. R. CLINE comsmmxonWASHER AND DRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 26, 1954 CNN INVENTORKermit R. Cline ATTORNEY United States COMBINATION WASHER AND DRIERKermit R. Cline, 1312 E. 44th St., Richmond, Va.

Filed Feb. 26, 1954, Ser. No. 412,723

6 Claims. (Cl. 68-20) The present invention relates to laudry equipmentand particularly to that used in homes in which a single piece ofequipment serves to wash and dry clothes without any intermediatehandling.

Heretofore it has been customary to have two separate items ofequipment, one for the washing and another for drying the clothes,requiring handling of the clothes between the washing and dryingoperations.

The conventional washing machine has been supplied with a /3 horsepowermotor and the drier has been supplied with a /6 horsepower motor.Consequently when one machine is idle there remains some unused power.If both pieces of equipment are used simultaneously, extra heavy wiringis required. Although some models of combined machines for washing anddrying have appeared, the motor power of a washing machine was muchgreater than necessary for the drier and the full advantage of the powerhas not been satisfactorily employed in the drying operation.

An object of the invention is to provide a combined Washer and drierstructure in which a single unit overcomes the disadvantage of priorstructures and serves both functions of washing and drying by takingfull advantage of the total power of the driving motor.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a single unitwhich will be attractive in appearance and will house the necessaryparts to completely wash and dry clothes without intermediate handlingpermitting the housewife to place the clothes in the combination machineand then attend to other duties merely returning to remove the dryclothes at any time after the cycle of operation is completed.

Another object of the invention is to increase the thermal efliciency ofwashing and drying apparatus.

A further object is to provide equipment which may be readily installedin a basement, kitchen, or bathroom for direct use without requiringcomplicated water and electrical connections.

Briefly stated, the present invention relates to a combination clothesWasher and drier including a housing in which a horizontally disposeddrum having an opening in one end is fixedly mounted and a foraminousdrumshaped basket is located within the drum and mounted for rotation sothat clothes placed therein may be agitated. A suitable water supply anddischarge means is provided for the stationary drum with theconventional automatic controls for temperature and quantity of thewater therein. The rotating basket is driven by a conventional source ofpower such as an electric motor through a gear reduction unit forrotating the basket at relatively slow speed for the washing and dryingoperations, and at a relatively high speed for centrifuging the waterfrom the clothes. The washing structure is somewhat conventional but thesame housing, stationary drum, rotating basket, driving motor, etc. areused in the drying operation. The air for the drying passes over thedriving motor and reduction gearing as well as the exterior of thestationary drum absorbing as much 2,9513% Patented Oct. 25, 1950 iceheat as possible and then such air passes through a heating unit to arestricted nozzle directing the heated air into the rotating basketcounter to the direction of rotation thereof. The air is caused to flowthrough the nozzle into the basket by a suction blower which tends toevacuate the washing chamber within the stationary tub or drum and suchblower may be driven by the same source of power which rotates the drumthrough suitable driving connection such a a solenoid operated clutch,or a separate source of power may be provided for the suction blower.

A first lint trap in the form of a chamber having an inlet incommunication with the tub and an outlet in communication with the tuband an outlet in communication with the suction blower is provided witha removable screen for separating the line from the air discharged fromthe tub.

A second lint removing device which may be called a dehumidifier andlint trap is provided at the point of discharge of the air from theapparatus. Such second lint trap includes a chamber having a pluralityof watercooled wet baflles provided in the path of the exhaust air fromthe apparatus removing the lint from the air and reducing the humiditywhereby the air discharged from the apparatus has a relatively lowhumidity with a minimum of lint and such exhaust air may pass directlyinto the room without unduly heating or increasing the humidity thereof.It is also contemplated that the exhaust air may be passed into theatmosphere outside of the room thereby avoiding the necessity for thelint traps and the means for reducing the humidity.

Control means are also provided whereby the washing cycle isautomatically performed and thereafter the drying cycle is automaticallyinitiated or the machine may be used solely as a washer or solely as adrier by the proper adjustment of the controls. The drying may becontrolled by the length of drying time desired, the temperature of theclothes in the apparatus, or the degree of dryness thereof orcombinations of these methods.

Other and futher objects will be apparent as the description proceedswith reference to the drawings where- Fig. 1 is a front elevation withparts broken away of one embodiment of the combination washer and drier;

Fig. 2, a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a perspective of the washer-drier combination with parts brokenaway showing the drive, lint traps, and part of the control structure;

Fig. 4, a schematic rear elevational view with the back panel removed ofa modification similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and having aseparate motor for operating the suction blower;

Fig. 5, a side view with the side panel omitted of the modification ofFig. 4;

Fig. 6, a rear view with the back panel omitted of a modificationshowing a heat exchanger in the exhaust air outlet and an auxiliarysource of air entering from the top heated by contact with the tub;

Fig. 7, a side elevation of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8, a rear View of another modification showing separate parallelpaths for the supply of drying air;

Fig. 9, a side elevation of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10, a partial plan view with parts broken away of the modificationof Figs. 8 and 9 showing how air from two sources merges into the airheater;

Fig. 11, a rear view of a further modification showing parallel pathsfor the air and recirculation of some air with a blower operated fromthe driving motor;

Fig. 12, a side View of the modification of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13, a rear View of another modification in which the air passesaround the top and through a heat exchanger to a heater with somerecirculation of the air With the blower driven by the main motor;

Fig. 14, a side view of the modification according to Fig. 13; r

Fig. 15, a rear view of a further modification in which some air isrecirculated and some air comes through the top of the housing and otherair through a heat exchanger;

Fig. 16, a side view with parts omitted of the modification shown inFig; 15; i

Fig. 17, a wiring diagram showing the electrical control for the dryingoperation and the interconnection between the washing and dryingcontrols;

Fig. 18, a transverse section of the wet type lintftrap and dehumidifiertaken substantially on the line 1818 of Fig. 3; and i Fig. 19, a sectiontaken substantially on line 19l9 of Fig. 18.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, upon a base 50 is mounted ahousing 51 which may be made in sections or panels for assembly andservicing of the equipment. A bearing support 51A projects upwardly fromthe base and rotatably supports a drum-shaped horizontally disposedbasket 52 having a shaft 53 rotatably supported in a bearing 54 at theupper end of bearing support pedestal 51A. Surrounding the basket is astationary drum-shaped'tub 55 fixedly supported within the housing 1 andsealing the interior ofthe tub 55 frorn the interior of the housing 51.'Upon shaft 53, a driven pulley 56 is fixedly mounted and is driven bymeans of a-belt 57 from a'pulley 58 on a shaft of a variable speed 7reduction unit 59 supported on the base 50. 7 An electric motor 60provides the power for the speed reduction unit. The basket 52 may bedriven at different speeds through the variable gear reduction unit 59having gearing therein which is controlled by a solenoid 61 for changingthe speed of rotation of basket 52 so that a slow speed may be used forthe washing and drying operations and a high speed may be used for thecentrifuging operation to remove water from the clothes after thewashing and prior to the drying. 7 7

Suitable water pumps andsolenoid control valves are provided with meansto limit the amount of temperature of water but these are not shown indetail to avoid complexity and such means are well known.

The structure in addition to that required for an automatic washerprovides for the drying operation and includes asuction blower 62 whichis selectively driven by a conventional clutch controlled by a solenoidfor engaging a clutch element 63 on the blower shaft with a clutchelement 63' on a high speed shaft ofthe variable speed reduction unit 59whereby the suction blower may be selectively operated. It will beapparent that the blower may be operated by a 'clutch connection-to themotor shaft if desired. Air is supplied to the interior of the housing51 through openings 65 in a toe recess in the front of the housing andthrough other openings 65 in the rear and such air Will pass over themotor wand gear reduction unit 59 absorbing heat therefrom and then passaround the tub 55 and into the inlet end 66 of a heating chamber 67. Anelectrically heated unit 68in heating chamber 67 heats the air whichthen passes through a conduit 69 to a restricted nozzle 70 which isshown as extending to the left in Fig. 1 and to the rear in Fig. 2,which nozzle is pointed in a direction opposite to the direction ofrotation of the basket 52 whereby the air will impinge upon the clothesand additionally agitate the same during the drying operation.

It will be evident that the jet of air being emitted from the nozzle 70produces movement on the entire mass of air within the drum in adirection counter'to the direction of the rotation of the drum wherebythe air wipes over the damp clothes in suflicient quantity and at a' 4air in the drying operation. Further, the air will necessarily contactgreater areas of the clothes and any particular increment of air will becaused to follow a generally circular path in a direction counter to thedirection of rotation of the drum. This effect increases the overalleificiency of the dryer resulting in more rapid drying of the clothesbecause of the great turbulence in the air mass Within the drum andbecause each increment of air can come into contact with the dampclothes and the air will pick up more moisture similar to the mannerwind picks up a greater amount of moisture. The jet action is similar tothe action which can be observed when a jet of water passes out of anozzle of a hose and is directed tangentially to a mass of Water in acylindrical tub. Each increment of water or air that is introduced inthis manner will necessarily make a relatively large number ofcircumferential passes within the drum or tub before being dischargedand, consequently, the drying efiect produced by such increments of airwill be greatlyincreased by the use of the present invention.

A conduit 71 in communication with the interior of tub 55 extends into afirst lint trap 72 including a boxlike housing 73 having a removablecover 74 from which a screen 75 is suspended and substantially fills thespace between the top, bottom and side walls thereof so that airwithdrawn from tub 55 through conduit 71 must pass through the screenfiltering the lint from such air. A handle 76 provides means forremoving the cover with the screen from the lint trap so that the screenmay be cleaned. The cover 74 rests in rabbet grooves77 which maintain aseal preventing the air from passing from bettween the cover and thetrap. Communicating with lint trap 72 is a conduit 78 extending from theupper end of such lint trap to the inlet of suction blower 62 and anoutlet conduit 79 from such suction blower may direct the air outwardlyfrom the housing 51 thereby providing a complete circuit for the dryingair. However, the air may pass to a second lint trap 165 from outletconduit 79 as hereinafter described.

The conventional washing machine motor 69 has an excess of power forthat usually required in a drier and therefore it is contemplated thatthe nozzle 79 of this drier will be constricted to an appreciable extentresulting in a partial vacuum in the drying chamber and the extent ofsuch vacuum can be controlled by effective size of the nozzle 70. Thispartial vacuum in the drying chamber also will assist in evaporation ofmoisture.

The suction blower 62 is designed to provide the proper flow of airwhich is approximately cubic feet per minute and such blower is designedto operate at a selected speed and with the impellers of a size to takeadvantage of the excess power in the motor 69. Preferably the impellersof the centrifugal blower 62 are backwardly curved to obtain the mostdesirable operating characteristics including self-cleaning of theblades. The nozzle 70 is constricted to produce a jet of air to increasethe turbulence in the drying chamber as well as to cause impingement ofthe air on the clothes. With the backward curved centrifugal fan orblower, static pressure is maintained relatively high thereby producinga partial vacuum in the drying chamber within the efficient operation ofthe centrifugal fan or blower 62 It will be evident that the fan orblower will be designed to take advantage of the excess power in theconventional washing machine motor over the power requirements for aconventional drier. The increased load on the motor 60 results inadditional heating of the motor thereby preheating the air for thedrying operation in addition to the production of the partial vacuum inthe drying chamber which facilitates evaporation of moisture. As aresult the maximum powerof the motor can be utilized so that the maximumefficiency in the drying operation is obtained.

Instead of having the blower 62 driven by the same source of power asthe rotating basket, an auxiliary source of power may be providedtherefor and the blower could be positioned more closely adjacent thelint trap, but the details of this construction are omitted since itwould appear obvious to one skilled in the art. The difierence in thecontrol being that the separate motor or source of power 64A is providedfor a suction blower 87 (Figs. 4 to inclusive) in lieu of the solenoid64 and the clutch 63 for operating the suction blower 62.

Although the heater 68 for the drying air is shown above the stationarytub 55, it is contemplated that such heater could be placed beneath thetub so that the same heater may serve to maintain the washing water inthe tub at a selected desired temperature and suitable thermostaticcontrol means may be provided whereby the washing or the drying cyclecannot commence until the temperature of the tub has reached the desiredefiicient washing or drying temperature.

It will be evident that the washing chamber of tub 55 is maintained outof communication with the interior of housing 51 except for the nozzle70. A door for closing the open end of the tub provides a suitable sealby means of gaskets or the like to prevent atmospheric air from enteringthe washing and drying chamber whereby the suction blower 62 will drawthe drying air from nozzle 70 producing a partial vacuum in the dryingchamber and thereby increasing the rate of evaporation of clothestherein.

Referring to the modification illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, air isadmitted into a housing 81 through openings 81A in the toe recess andthe lower portion of the rear panel to pass over the motor (not shown)and on both sides of the stationary tub 82 into the heating chamber 83where it is heated by a conventional heater. From heating chamber 83 theair passes through nozzle 84 into the washing and drying chamber of tub82 and through a suitable passage 85 from the tub to a lint trap 86 fromwhich the air is removed by suction blower 87 and forced through aconduit 88 to the exterior of the cabinet.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, a housing 89 is provided with air inletopenings 90 in the top thereof and such air passes around both sides ofthe tub down to the lower part of the housing where it may contact thedrive motor and absorb the heat therefrom; then such air passes upwardly into the external chambers 90, 90", of a heat exchanger 91 andthence to a heating chamber 92 where the air is additionally heated by aconventional electric heater 68. The heated air then passes through anozzle into the tub chamber where such heated air impinges against theclothes. The air is exhausted from the interior of the tub 94 through anoutlet conduit 95 into a lint tray 96 from which the air is removed by asuction blower 97, such air passing as shown by the doubleheaded arrowsfrom the suction blower through an internal chamber 98 within the heatexchanger 91 and to the exterior of the housing through outlet 99,whereby a large amount of the heat is removed from the outgoing air andby the heat exchanger 91. It will be noted that the heat exchanger 91may have an interior wall 91A and the rear exterior wall 913 of thehousing may serve as one wall of the heat exchanger, if desired, or theheat exchanger may have a separate outside wall.

Referring to Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive, the incoming air may be suppliedto the housing 100 having a toe recess through openings 101 in the toerecess and other outside air may be supplied to a heat exchanger 102through openings 103 and 104 into passages 103A and 104A of the heatexchanger, the course of such air being shown by the single headedarrows. From the heat exchanger 102 a restricted nozzle-like portion 105directs air into a heater chamber 106. Some air passes through theopenings 101 and around both sides of the tub 107 and between thenozzle-like portion 105 and the inlet end of the heater chamber into thechamber 106 and from the heater the air passes through nozzle 108 intothe tub 107. From the tub an outlet 109 provides communication with alint trap 110, the air being moved by the suction blower 111 from thelint trap and then outwardly through central passageway 112 in the heatexchanger to the exterior as shown by the double-headed arrows.

In Figs. 11 and 12, a blower 113 driven by the usual washing machinemotor is mounted within a housing 114 and produces a suction on aconduit 115 extending from a lint trap 117 through which air is drawnthrough a connection 118 from the interior of a tub 119 and air iscaused to flow into the tub through openings 120 in the toe recess andother openings 121 in the rear wall, which air is warmed by the drivingmotor (not shown) and the outside of the tub 19. Such air is drawn intoinlet end 122 of the heating chamber 123, where such air is additionallyheated by an electrical heating element 124 and from the heating chamberthe air passes through nozzle 125 into the tub 119 and into the linttrap through conduit 118. The air exhausted from lint trap 117 throughoutlet condut 115 to the blower 113, is forced from the blower throughan outlet conduit 126 to the exterior of the housing 114. Part of theair from the blower 113 may pass through another conduit 127 to theinlet end 122 of the heating chamber 123 whereby some air isrecirculated as desired. A damper 128 may be used to control the amountof air to be recirculated and such damper may be manually orautomatically controlled in accordance with temperature and/or humidityconditions of the air.

Referring to Figs. 13 and 14, within a housing 129, a heater exchanger130 is mounted adjacent the back wall and is provided with a centerpassage 131 for exhausting air to the outside of the housing and isprovided with passages 132 and 133 separated from the center passages bysuitable walls for the transfer of heat from air in the center or outletpassage 131 to air passing through the passages 132 and 133. Air isdrawn into the housing 129 through openings 134 at the toe recess andsuch air passes around the drive motor and the tub and into the upperends of passages 132 and 133 of the heat exchanger 130 and such air isdrawn from the passages 132 and 133 through a conduit 135 to the heatingchamber 136 in which the air contacts a heating element 137 and the airis then directed through nozzle 138 into the interior of the tub andsuch air is drawn from the tub through a conduit 139 into a lint trap140 and from the lint trap the air is drawn through conduit 141 into asuction blower 142 and from the suction blower part of the air is forcedthrough a conduit 143 to the center or outlet passage 131 of the heatexchanger and to the outside. Part of the air from the blower 142 may berecirculated by means of a tubular connection 144 to the conduit 135and, if desired, a damper 145 may be provided in tubular connection 144to control the amount of recirculation, and such control may be manualor automatic.

Referring to Figs. 15 and 16, another modification may include a housing146 in which a heat exchanger 147 having a central or outlet passage 148is mounted adjacent the back wall and has inlet passages 149 and 150 onopposite sides of passages 148 for transfer of heat from the outlet airto the incoming air. Air is drawn into the tub 151 through a nozzle 152from a heating chamber 153 in which a heating element 154 is located andair is supplied to the heating chamber 153 through openings 155 in thetop wall through which air is drawn into the housing 146 passing to thebottom and then into the lower flaring end of a conduit 156 havingcommunication with the inlet or left end of the heating chamber 153 andother air passes through inlet passages 149 and 150 of the heatexchanger and through a nozzle-like tube 157 having its discharge intothe lower funnel shaped end of the conduit 156, the inlet pasages 149and 150 joining into a common passage within the heat exchanger andthence into the nozzle-like tube 157. It will be evident that some ofthe air is thereby drawn through the heat exchanger and other air comesdirectly fromthe outside over the tub absorbing heat from the tub andalso absorbing heat from the driving mechanism.

A suction blower 158 is driven by any suitable source of power andpreferably from the main motor producing a suction in a conduit 159drawing air through a lint trap 160 which, in turn, draws air through ashort conduit 161 from the tub 151 and part of the discharge air fromthe blower 158 may pass through a tubular connection 162 incommunication with the center passage 148 of the heat exchanger to theoutside of the housing 146 and part of the discharge air from the blower158 may pass through conduit 163 which joins with tubular nozzle 157 sothat the air passing through tubular conduit 163 may be recirculated. lfdesired, a damper 164 may be provided in the conduit 163 to limit theamount of recirculation and such damper may be controlled manually orautomatically. 7 i

l Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 18, and 19, acombination lint trap and dehumidifier 165 of generally rectangularshape includes a bottom wall 166, side walls 167, 168, a front wall 169,and a rear wall 170. Upstanding hollow baflles 171, 172 extend from therear wall and from the front wall respectively and are arranged inspaced and staggered relation. Such baflles are supplied with cold waterfrom a suitable supply 173 having a solenoid valve 174 controlling thepassage of water to suitable conduits 175 and 176, to the interior ofhollow 7' bafiies 172 and 171 respectively, the water filling the hollowbaffles and then running out through openings 1'77 and 178 respectively. Such openings may bea series of small openings or an elongatedslot so that the water keeps the left surfaces of the baffles wet. Thelint trap 165 is provided with an inlet duct 179 on the left side whichis an extension of duct 79 from the blower 62 and the air passingtherethrough impinges against the wet surfaces of the bafiles 171 and 172 and around the forward and rear ends of such baflles as shown in Fig.19 to an outlet elbow or duct 180, which outlet duct may discharge intothe room. The lint being retained on the wet batfles is washeddownwardly therefrom by the water and such lint with the water isdischarged through a drain 181.

Under present plumbing codes it is necessary to provide means to preventcontaminating the water supply by impure water being siphoned into thewater mains in the event of low pressure in such water mains. Thispurpose may be accomplished by different means including .check valvesto prevent reverse flow or by means of a valve which prevents liquidunder pressure within the pipes from escaping but as soon as thepressure within the pipe drops, such a valve opens and permits air toenter the pipe preventing contaminated water from entering the watersupply mains. V

One way of supplying the water to the baflies without any danger ofcontaminaton is to provide a downwardly extending pipe 174Aterminatingabove a flaring funnel like end 174B of a pipe 174C whichsupplies the water to conduits 175 and 176 to the bottom of the baflles171 and 172 so that the water rises in the baffles and then passesoutwardly through the openings 177 and 178. With this arrangement itwill be obvious that the water will be fed by gravity from the flaringend 174B to the bafiles and in the event of a reduction in pressure inthe water line, there is no danger of siphoning contaminated water fromthe lint trap. If desired an overflow may be provided to prevent waterfrom overflo wing the top of the flaring end 174B. 7

The wet lint trap performs an additional function of removing humidityfrom the air. The cold water supplied to the balfles maintains thebafile temperature low causing the moisture in the air from the drier tobe condensed on such cold baffles as well as being condensed in the coldWater running over the baffles. Such cold water reduces the temperatureof the air from the drier and lowers the temperature of such air fromsuch drier below its dew point causing the moisture to. condense. Thisaction prevents increasing the temperature in the room in which thedrier is used and the exhaust air from the drier may be returned intothe room without increasing the relative humidity orthe temperatureinthe room.

It will be understood that the discharge duct 79 may be provided with anoutlet directly tothe exterior of the housing '51 as shown at 182 and adamper of conventional design 183 may be provided permitting theoperator to selectively use the lint trap or not, as desired, and asuitable hand valve 184 may be provided in the. water supply conduit 173for shuttingofl the water thereto in the event that the wet lint trapis, not used. Such valve 184 and the damper 183 may be interconnectedfor simultaneous operation and, if desired, another connection can bemade to a switch for breaking the circuit to solenoid .valve 174 so thatsuch solenoid valve will not be energized when the wet lint. trap is notused. Suitable electrical circuits maybe provided .to control thesolenoid valve 174 and damper 183 so that the lint trap may be renderedinoperative by a single control. For removing the water from the drain181, a pump 185 driven by a friction wheel 186 selectively contacts theshaft 187 of the drive motor by a solenoid 188 actuating a lever 189pivoted intermediate its ends to a pedestal 198 and having its other endsupporting the pump 185. Pump 185 serves to remove the water through anoutlet duct 191 for discharging the water at an elevation above thewater level of the tub such as to the top of a laundry tub. The samepump 185 also serves to drain the tub 55 through a conduit 192 which isalso connected to the pump 185,. the conduits 181, 192, and 191 areshown as being flexible to permit the operative movements of the pump185 so that friction disk 186 may be engaged or disengaged withthe shaft187 for controlling the operation of the pump.

Referring to Fig. 17, a three-wire electric supply system includessupply lines A, B, for 230 volts and a ground line C for 115 voltsbetween such ground line C and each of the supply lines A and B. Thedriving motor 60 is shown with one lead 193 thereof connected toline Cand the other lead 194 thereof provided with a switch 195 for completingthe circuit to line A for operation of the motor. Such switch 195 isnormally used in the washing cycle for operation of the motor 60 and iscontrolled by the washing control knob 196, the control knob 196 beingmounted on a shaft 197 driven by a conven tional timer motor 198 in thewell known manner for controlling the washing cycle.

The washing control knob 196 is shown in its 011 position and lineswitches 199 and 199A of the drying control are shown in closed positionso that the drying operation may take place. Line switches 199 and 199Aare normally maintained in open position by cams 200, 203A during thewashing cycle; such cams are provided with recesses in their peripheryfor receiving lifter tabs 291, 201A, of the spring biased switch leaves199 and 199A respectively so that the contact on such spring leaves makecontact with fixed contact points 2112, 2512A respectively only when thewashing control is in its inoperative position. It will thus be seenthat the drier control can have no effect during the washing cycle andthe drying controls can only become effective when the washing cycle hasbeen completed or when the washing control knob 196 is in its offposition shown in the diagram.

Normally, the driving motor 60, during the washing cycle, is controlledby switch 195, actuated by a cam 203 to cause the driving motor tooperate at the desired time and for the selected period. It will beevident that other control cams and switches for operating the variousmechanisms are also provided for controlling the filling and emptying ofthe tub, controlling the speed of rotation of the rotatable basket,etc., but this structure is not included to avoid unnecessarycomplications since the Washing cycle is conventional. It will beevident that the temperature of the water used in the washing will becontrolled by suitable mechanism (not shown).

Drier control switches 234, 204A, in series with line switches 199, 199Aare provided, and such switches are similar to switches 199, 199A, butthey are controlled by cams 205, 205A, fixed upon a control shaft 206having a control knob 207 for manual control thereof and such shaft isrotated by a timer motor 208 through a friction clutch for adjustmentand such timer motor is driven from supply line B by a lead 209extending from the fixed terminal of switch 204 and by another lead 21a;which is connected to ground line C. The timer motor 208 is onlyoperated when switches 199 and 204 are closed, since the supply ofcurrent to timer motor 288 will be broken by either switch. The openingof switches 204, 204A will terminate the drying cycle and such openingsis controlled by projecting tabs, lugs, or cam surfaces 211, 211A oncams 205, 205A respectively with the spring tab 212, 212A respectivelyon switch leaves 204, 204A.

Assuming that switches 199, 199A, 204, and 204A are closed as shown inthe diagram, the drying control timer motor 208 will be energized forthe predetermined length of time as set by the operator. No othercircuit is energized until thermostatic reset type switches 213, 213Aare closed. These switches are adjustable in accordance with thetemperature desired for drying the fabrics and such temperature may beaccurately controlled within wide limits to make the drier adaptable forfine synthetic fabrics as Well as coarse heavy materials by merelyadjusting the reset type thermostats 213, 213A to the selectedtemperature. It will be evident that a single thermostat may be of thedouble pole type for simultaneously closing or opening the circuits tosupply lines B and A and a single adjustment knob 213B may control thetemperature. Since this structure is well known, it is not shown indetail. Normally thermostatic switches 213 and 213A will be closed attemperatures below 140.

A safety thermostat 214 is connected in series with the heating element68 through a lead 214' and such safety thermostat is normally closed,but is set to open in the event of overheating to prevent danger oftire. Such thermostat is preferably of the type which opens the circuitand maintains the circuit open but can be reset manually after the causeof the trouble is determined, such thermostat also can control thedrying operation.

The heating element 68 in the heating chamber 67 is brought up totemperature for heating the air passing into the tub through the airconduit 69 and nozzle 70. Another normally open thermostat 215 having afixed contact 217A is connected to terminal 216A of the switch 204 bymeans of a lead 217, the thermostat 215 being connected through a lead218 to another lead 219 which extends to the solenoid 64 which controlsthe blower 62 and from the solenoid through lead 219A to the ground lineC. The thermostat 215 is closed when the drier reaches a predeterminedtemperature and causes the driving motor and blower to operate until thedrier cools below such predetermined temperature to make use of theresidual heat.

From a lead 220 extending from the temperature control thermostat 213,another lead 221 extends to a solenoid 222 and from the solenoid to theground line C and such solenoid 222 will draw the normally open switch223 to a closed position thereby energizing lead 219 from lead 216through an intermediate lead 224 completing the circuit through solenoid64, lead 219A and line C causing the solenoid 64 to move its armatureand cause clutch element 63 to engage clutch element 63 connecting theblower 62 in driving relation with the motor through the gear reductionunit 59. A bridging contact 225 on the armature of solenoid 64 serves tobridge contact 226 on lead 219 with a contact 227 on a lead 228 to themotor 60, the lead 193 connected with ground line C 1G completing thecircuit to the motor 60 for operation thereof.

An ozone-producing lamp 229 located adjacent to the entrance of heaterchamber 67 or other convenient location is arranged between lead 219 andground line C and is simultaneously energized for sterilizing the airand the clothes by the production of ozone upon closing of switches 223or thermostatic switch 215.

The armature of solenoid 64 also carries another bridging contact 229Afor a circuit from a lead 230 between line B and one fixed contact 230Aand a lead 231 to the other fixed contact 231A which lead 231 has abranch 231B extending to solenoid controlled valve 174 and anotherbranch 231C extending to solenoid 188 and from the solenoid controlledvalve 174 and from the solenoid 188 the circuit is completed throughbranch lead 232 and 232A respectively to a switch 233 and to the line C.By this arrangement the pump 185 is energized to remove water from thewet lint trap. The water is supplied to the lint trap by solenoidcontrolled valve 174. The manual switch 233 which may be providedbetween the leads 232 and 232A and the ground line C provide a manualcontrol to prevent operation of the wet lint trap. Also, if desired,another solenoid, not shown, may be provided for controlling the damper183 in the outlet conduit 79 for simultaneous operation with solenoidcontrolled valve 174 and pump control solenoid 188.

In the wiring diagram, it will be observed that switches 199, 199A,switches 204, 204A, switches 213, 213A are provided in lines B and Arespectively. But in some instances, a switch in only one line willperform the necessary control function, but some electrical codesrequire switches in both lines and therefore the duplication of switcheshas been shown. It will be evident that the unit may be supplied from avolt line by merely connecting lineC to line A instead of having line Aconnected to a separate source of power.

Although the description of the present invention has brought out thatthe washer-drier combination can perform both the washing and dryingfunctions, the apparatus may be used solely for washing, if desired.This is accomplished by adjusting the drying control knob 207 to the offposition so that the drier cannot operate and then operating the washingcycle with the washing con trol knob 196 in the more or lessconventional manner. With such an adjustment of the control knobs 196and 207, the washing cycle will be completed but the drying operationwill not occur.

From the above description it will be evident that the inventionprovides a combination washing machine and drier wherein the clothes maybe placed in the tub and the washing control knob 196 set for thedesired washing cycle and the drier control knob 207 set for the desiredlength of time for the drying operation. The control knob 213B will beadjusted to the selected temperature for the drying operation to preventthe drier from becoming overheated, thus making the drier safe for finesynthetic fabrics as well as heavy fabrics. The operator may then leavethe machine which will automatically cause the washing, rinsing, andcentrifuging cycle to be completed and thereafter cause the drying cycleto take place. The drying operation will be automatically controlled forthe time set by the drier control knob 207 through the timer motor 208.

In the event that the temperature is increased beyond the adjustment setby control knob 213B, the thermostat 213 and 213A will open, thusinterrupting the flow of current to heating element 68, and suchthermostat 213 will break the circuit to solenoid 222 thereby permittingspring biased switch 223 to be opened. However, the driving motor 60,ozone lamp 229, the blower 62, the solenoid control valve 174, and thepump 185 will remain in operation as temperature control thermostatswitch 215 will remain closed until the temperature of thermostaticswitch 215 drops to open the circuit between leads 217 and 218, thedrying operation with heater 68 de-energized continuing until thethermostat 215 is cooled to the desired temperature,

The thermostatic switches 21 3 and 213A are preferably of theconventional automatic reset type in which the circuit isbroken when thetemperature exceeds the temperature setting of such thermostaticswitches. The setting of such switches is controlled by control knob21313 and in the. event that the temperature of the apparatus, exceedsthe temperature setting of the thermostatic switches 213 and 213A, thecurrent will be cut to the heating element 68 and such heating elementwill remain inoperative until the temperature drops below the setting ofthermostatic switches 213 and 213A.

In some situations where the timing apparatus for the drying cycle isomitted, the thermostatic switches 213 and 213A maybe of the typerequiring manual resetting in theevent that the temperature of theapparatus exceeds the setting of the thermostatic switches 213 and 213A.Ordinarily the evaporation of moisture from wet clothes would maintainthe manually resettable type thermostat sufiiciently cool, and thedrying operation would continue until the clothes become sufiicientlydry resulting in a higher temperature since the rate of evaporationwould be reduced as the clothes become more dry. When manuallyresettable type thermostatic switches are used, a button 213C shown inFigure 1 in the center of the thermostatic control knob 213B may servefor the resetting function. However, the safety switch 214- is intendedto perform the function of the manualiy resettable type thermostaticswitches and will break the circuit to the heating element 68 when thetemperature exceeds that for which the safety switch 214 is set.Thermostatic switch 214 may be adjustable for different characteristicsof the apparatus.

In some situations, the timer control motor 208 may be omitted and thecontrol may be accomplished entirely by adjustable manually resettablethermostatic switches 213 and 213A and such thermostats will be set forthe proper temperature for the desired degree of drying. After thedrying operation begins it continues while moisture is present in theclothes. As long as the clothes have excessive moisture, the temperaturedoes not rise suificiently high to open thermostatic switches 213 and213A, but as soon as the moisture content in the clothes becomes sosmall that the temperature of the clothes and the air rises above the,present temperature, the thermostats 213 and 213A will automaticallyopen. The blower will then continue but the heating element 68 will notproduce any more heat and the blower will continue only 7 so long as thethermostatic'switch 21'5 remains closed,

such thermostatic switch 215 opening when the drier cools; down below apredetermined temperature.

From an inspection of the wiring diagram, it will be evident that theelectrical energy cannot reach the drying control during the washingoperation since the control cams 200 and 200A maintain the switches 199and 199A open during that time and the drier can operate only when thewasher control is in its off position. Also, when the drier is inoperation the. circuit is so arranged that the controls for the washingcycle are rendered inoperative and there is no danger of them beinginadvertently energized.

With reference to Figs. 4 to 16 inclusive, various paths of circulationsof the air are shown with separate blower motors shown in Figs. 4 to 10inclusive while the blowers shown in Figs. 11 to 16 are driven by thesame motor which rotates the basket for agitating the clothes. It willbe understood that in the wiring diagram of Fig. 17, the blower motorwould be energized by the solenoid 64 by closing contacts to such blowermotor control instead of operating the clutch element 63.

t will also be evident that separate blowers and motors shown in Figs. 4to 9 inclusive could be replaced by a blower driven. from the mainmotor. Also, in the modifications shown in Figs. 11 to 16 inclusive, theblower could be operated by a separate motor instead or being driven bythe main motor.

The dampers 128, 144, and 164, shown in Figs. 11, 13, and 15, may becontrolled by a humidistat arrangement responsive to the humidity of theair coming from the lint trap for obtaining the maximum efficiency.Also, it is contemplated that the drying operation may be controlled byhurnidistats when the air leaving the drying chamber comes to apredetermined value for its relative humidity.

It will be evident that the thermostatic controls 215, 213 and 213A willbe located to bereadily responsive to the temperature of the air in thedrying chamber and such thermostats may be located'in the outlet 71 fromthe tub, in the linttrap or other suitable-location. The safetythermostat 214 should be located adjacent the heating element 66, suchas in the conduit 69. It will be evident that such thermostats may becovered for protection from the lint.

It will be. evident that the wet type lint trap may be used with themodifications of the. inventions shown in Figs. 4 to 16 inclusive bymerely locating such wet type lint trap at the outlet of the'air fromthe housing.

Although some parts of the structure may be omitted while stillobtaining many of the advantages of the present invention, the entirecombination results in an unusually efiicient washer and .driercombination with a minimum of attention by the housewife or otheroperator of the same.

From the above description, it will be apparent that applicant hasprovided a washing and drying machine which will completely perform thewashing and drying operations without attention after the clothes areplaced in the basket agitator and the controls are set and therefore thehousewife may do the laundry in small quantitles by merely setting themachine to operate and go about any other chores until the clothes aredry for ironing or storage or use.

It will be obvious to thoseski'lled in the art, that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof, and therefore, the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic washer and dryer comprising a tub, a drum mountedforrotation about an axis having a horizontal. component, said drum'beingwithin said tub for producing turbulence in the liquid and agitating theclothes, a motor for operating said drum, a blower, a nozzle fordirecting rying fluid into said drum and into direct unobstructedcontact with. the clothes therein, communicating means. between saidblower and said nozzle, said blower causing said drying fluid to passthrough said nozzle, means to selectively drive said blower from saidmotor, said nozzle being constricted a suflicient amount to increase theload on said motor whereby said motor may operate at substantially fullcapacityat all times.

2. The invention according to claim 1 with sa d tub being sealed, inletmeans to the tub and exhaust means from the tub to the atmosphere,. saidblower being located in said exhaust means to effect a partial vacuum insaidtub. 7 7 V 3. The invention according to claim 2 with means to heatthe drying fluidpassing'into said tub through said inlet 'means, ahousing surrounding said tub and drum and providing a heat exchangechamber between said tub and said housing.

4. The invention according to claim 3 with the inlet means in heatexchange relation to the exhaust means for preheating .air passingthrough said nozzle.

5.,Ari automatic. dryercomprising a housing, a generally cylindricaldrum rotatably mounted in said housing for rotation about an axis havinga horizontal component, said drum being provided with an opening in anend thereof, means to rotate said drum about said axis, a restrictednozzle having its opening otfset from said axis of said drum anddirected into said drum through said opening in said drum and toward theperiphery thereof in a direction generally parallel to a tangent to theperiphery of said drum, means to cause drying air to pass through theopening in said nozzle forming a jet of air whereby said jet of air willcause continuous movement of the air within said drum about the axis ofthe drum to assure a wiping contact of the air against the clothes inthe drum thereby assuring eifective drying at all times, and means toretain clothes in the drum.

6. The invention according to claim 5 in which the nozzle and the jet ofair are directed in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation ofthe drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,786,191 Carroll Dec. 23, 1930 14 Bowdoin et al Dec. 27, 1938 HetzerJuly 18, 1939 Basset-t Dec. 17, 1940 Evans Jan. 20, 1942 White Mar. 23,1943 Breckenridge Oct. 31, 1943 Pokras Aug. 24, 1949 Morris Oct. 25,1949 Morrison Jan. 20, 1950 Chamberlin May 29, 1951 Constantine Aug. 19,1952 Milby et a1. Sept. 8, 1953 Morrison Dec. 15, 1953 Woodward et a1.May 4, 1954 Thompson May 25, 1954 Knipmeyer Mar. 13, 1956 McCormick Apr.24, 1956 Dodge Jan. 15, 1957 Stilwell Mar. 19, 1957 Hanley Mar. 25, 1958Geldhof May 13, 1958

